Horse Watch

What is Horse Watch?

Horse Watch was launched in July 2017 and is an opportunity for horse owners in Nottinghamshire to become part of an exciting new crime reporting initiative.

We are actively seeking responsible horse owners who ride on a regular basis, to help keep our rural communities safe and to make an impact upon the issues that are affecting you in your areas.

This community initiative is a partnership between Nottinghamshire Police and community-minded horse riders to crack down on rural crime. This incorporates a wide variety of issues - from theft and fly-tipping to poaching and hare-coursing - all of which are key concerns for rural communities.

Your input could make a real difference in tackling rural crime and nuisance where you live.

What does being a member involve?

Membership of the scheme is for horse-owners who will undertake normal riding activities, while at the same time being mindful of their participation in the scheme.

Members will ride privately-owned horses that are familiar to the rider, and not be expected to ride in any area that they are not familiar with, or for which the horse is unsuited.

Members will not be subjected to any specific deployment, but assist the police by communicating with us and reporting incidents of concern while exercising their horse in the normal way within their local community.

Riders would act as witnesses only, contacting the local control room and taking reasonable steps to safeguard themselves and others.

Main responsibilities

Horse Watch members' responsibilities are:

to provide details of your usual riding areas and any issues of concern in those areas

to be vigilant to evidence of criminal activity, antisocial behaviour or other issues of concern while on your regular hacks (i.e. suspicious vehicles, fly-tipping, etc.)

to share information with local Neighbourhood Policing Teams

to provide the police and relevant agencies with regular information and updates through agreed contact portals

Members' responsibilities do not include:

being used as a visible Police presence and will not be be visibly identified as such when riding in your local community

being deployed to address any particular policing problem, or be tasked by police or partners in any way

engaging in any activities beyond your normal riding behaviour in relation to your membership of the scheme - especially unauthorised activity such as trespass on land

being classified as Police Volunteers, which requires registration, training and regulation through our Citizens in Policing department

Members' eligibility

Certain requirements will be made of individuals wishing to join to allow us to make a reasoned risk assessment and manage the processes of the scheme effectively.

These include:

All participants must be 18 years of age or older

Participants must be willing to provide personal details to Nottinghamshire Police

Participants must be a careful and competent rider, aware of and riding in accordance with the Highway Code

Participants will ride their own horse, at their own expense, with full insurance and third-party liability to do so

Sign up for Horse Watch

For full details of the Horse Watch scheme, including full background, responsibilities and expectations, you can download the Horse Watch Information Pack.